Chapter Thirty-Nine
ADAM
I felt the knife press harder against my skin, and there was a bite of pain, as he must have broken the skin.
Tears spilled from my eyes, as I realised that I wasn’t going to survive this encounter. Whatever the brothers and Cass were pissed at me for, they weren’t going to let me even know what it was. That left me no opportunity to prove them wrong.
Finally, I stared at Cass through glassy eyes, her face a blur.
“Please… tell Julie I love her. I love her so much. I didn’t know I’d never get the chance to say it.” My breath rushed out of me, as I closed my eyes, and waited for the agony to begin. I wished I’d had more time with her. Another hour. A day. More.
Nothing happened for a few moments, and eventually the anticipation got the better of me, so I opened my eyes again.
Both brothers were staring at Cass, who was frowning at me, her head tilted.
“Julie?” She asked. I swallowed hard, wanting to answer her, but the knife at my throat had struck me dumb.
“Seb, please, let him speak.” She whispered, and he moved. He fucking moved.
“My Julie?” She asked, folding her arms, suddenly looking small and vulnerable.
I shook my head. “She’s mine. My Julie. My god… I love her, and she’ll never know. She’s waiting for me to come over. I was going to stay.” I sagged, even more than I already had been, because I’d been so close to happiness.
“Julie Kim? As in the tiny little Korean girl I used to work with? That Julie?”
She turned wide eyes in the direction of the brothers, who were frowning at her.
“What’s this got to do with… you know… him being a kiddie-fiddler?” Seb asked, glancing back at me.
I felt a wave of panic, and revulsion. “A what? You thought… what the fuck is wrong with you people? For fuck’s sake!” I suddenly raged at them, as pieces fell into place a lot fucking later than they should have. They thought I was a pervert… a paedophile… maybe I’d been seen with Julie, and they’d misconstrued things.
“Adam… you’ve been seeing Julie?” Cass asked me, stepping closer again. I nodded.
“Why do you people think I’m some kind of monster? I swear, I’d never hurt her. I’d never hurt any woman. Or a damn child!” The side of my chest was burning, agony spreading across my ribs.
Cass looked at Samuel. “You need to get him down from there. He’s in pain.”
He heaved a deep sigh. “That was kind of the point, at the time. Jesus… help me get him down, bruv.” He and Seb worked together to cut me down from the hook, and I pretty much just crumpled into a heap of sobbing, aching bones, and muscles.
“Jesus fuck… you should know… that’s really fucking terrifying, being up there.” I barely had a voice. My throat hurt. Not from the cut on my skin. From the thick lump of terror that had been lodged there, ever since I woke up.
“Adam, we’re so sorry.” Cass crouched in front of me, and the brothers moved close to her, like they actually thought she was in danger.
“Why the hell would you think I’m a paedophile? The mere thought of that makes me want to throw up. How could you think that of me?”
She glanced up at the brothers, one after the other.
“Well, you guys can explain that one, since it’s your fuck up.” Seb dragged her up from crouching, and slapped her ass, as he directed her to the chair.
Samuel had crouched in front of me.
“Who’s Little Angel, Butch? Tell me you weren’t messaging some little kid.”
I frowned at him.
“Are you fucking serious? You people hacked my phone?”
He grinned suddenly. “Of course, bruv. That’s just one way we keep an eye on someone new, making sure you’re not trying to fuck us. We also had trackers placed in the phone you carry, and the burner in your car. Oh… and on your car. You’ve never been anywhere, that we haven’t been aware of.”